Pierre Mac Orlan

He was also a prolific writer of chansons, many of which were recorded and popularized by French singers such as Juliette Gréco, Monique Morelli, Catherine Sauvage, Francesca Solleville, and Germaine Montero.

Born in Péronne, Somme, in northern France, Mac Orlan lived in Rouen and Paris as a young man, working at a variety of jobs and learning to play the accordion.

[1] During this period, he was part of a broad circle of writers and painters including Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire, Maurice Utrillo and Francis Carco.

In addition to Quai des Brumes, his many novels included A Bord de l'Etoile Matutine, translated into English by Malcolm Cowley as On Board the Morning Star, and La Bandera (1931).

[7] The French writer and political theorist Guy Debord, founder of the Situationist International was a constant reader of Mac Orlan's novels of urban adventure and "low life".